Model Khoudia Diop's Message To Her Haters: Thank You

You recognize Khoudia Diop, right? The 19-year-old model (who goes by "Melaniin Goddess" online) went viral this fall when she starred in a campaign called The Colored Girl: Rebirth, which celebrated black women of all skin tones.

A post shared by The Colored Girl #TCG (@thecgirlinc) on Aug 26, 2016 at 5:17am PDT

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As a kid growing up in Senegal, Khoudia was bullied for her dark skin. Today she's embracing what makes her unique. After living in Paris for two years and now attending college in New York City, Khoudia has more than 300,000 Instagram followers — and her modeling career is just getting started.

Khoudia spoke with Seventeen.com about bullying, her path to becoming a model, and the time she almost tried skin-lightening creams (but didn't).

You've talked about being bullied for your skin tone when you were younger. What was that like for you?

I was mostly bullied by my classmates. People would come up to me and say, "You're so dark." I'd always fight back by calling out one of their insecurities, like, "Well, you have a big nose." Today, I'd tell them that I really love them. I'd thank them because they made me realize how unique I am.

A post shared by The Colored Girl #TCG (@thecgirlinc) on Sep 21, 2016 at 12:34pm PDT

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How have your feelings about your complexion changed over time?

I'm the darkest one in my family, and I actually have a lot of cousins who use skin-lightening creams. When I was younger they would say, "You should try this." I'm not going to lie: I wanted to try it at some point because I felt embarrassed to be black.

My sister was the one person who told me not to change, that my skin was beautiful. She really helped me feel good about myself. The very first day I got to Paris, I was walking around the city with my sister and I saw my reflection in a big mirror. I saw myself in a sea full of lighter-skinned people. I stood out, but I liked the way I looked. That's the first time I really felt confident.

How did you get your start in modeling?

That also goes back to Paris. My mom has a sister there — my aunt, who I'm very attached to. I had a chance to move in with her for a while, and I ended up living there for two years. In Paris, I'd walk down the street and photographers would come up to me and ask to take my picture. They'd say, "You should try modeling!" So I came to New York and met [my managers, Tori Elizabeth and Victory Jones].

OK, so you've lived in Senegal, Paris and now New York City. What have you noticed about perceptions of beauty in those three places?

In my country — even though we have a lot of dark-skinned people — people think the lighter you are, the better you are. They think beauty has to do with being light-skinned. I think that's really wrong. I've found that in New York and Paris, it's not like that.

Who are your career role models?

Lupita N'yongo, definitely. She loves the skin she's in and the body she's in. I respect that a lot.

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Lupita Nyongo, one of Khoudias role models.

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Has your life changed since you went viral?

Well, even before I went viral, people would stop me and talk to me about my skin color. So nothing is really different! The only thing that's changed is that people sometimes recognize me as that girl from Instagram now. A few days ago, I met a flight attendant on a plane who asked to take a selfie with me because she recognized me from Instagram.

Besides modeling, what do you like to do?

I go to school in New York. Right now I'm studying business management, but I'm going to change my major to astronomy. I don't know why. I'm fascinated with stars and space. I just love them.